Neil Gaiman's acclaimed 2001 novel American Gods is no longer in development at HBO — but that doesn't mean it won't be a TV show. FremantleMedia, which produces The Tomorrow People and the upcoming The Returned, has signed a new deal to develop American Gods for television.

According to the press release which Fremantle sent out:

Gaiman, the creator of the celebrated Sandman comic series, and the author of bestselling novels The Graveyard Book, Coraline and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, will Executive Produce the series along with FremantleMedia. Gaiman was represented in the deal by Jon Levin at CAA on behalf of literary agent Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House.

The plot posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of biblical and mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society's modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.

The acquisition of American Gods reflects the recent ramp-up in development activity by FremantleMedia North America's scripted television division, most recently seen in the sale of the US adaptation of the hit French format "The Returned," currently in development at A&E, Carl Hiaasen's novel "Basket Case" in development at Spike with Rob Reiner attached and "TheTomorrowPeople," picked up for a back-nine order by The CW.